Vernon Street Open Studios- Saturday and Sunday, Noon to 6 pm. 6 &20 Vernon Street. Mid-career and emerging artists working across a broad spectrum of fine art styles and craft media will exhibit and sell their work just in time for the holiday season.

Mural Dedication Event at Vernon Street Studios scheduled for Sunday December 2 at 11:30 am. Art panels were recently created and installed on the outside of the building on Central St and will be publicly celebrated at the event.

Local is for Lovers Market - Sunday, December 2, 11 am to 5 pm. Somerville Armory, 191 Highland Avenue. Sponsored by Somerville Local First. Gifts from local artisans and retailers.

Wrap Around - Saturday and Sunday, 1-5 pm. Nave Gallery, 155 Powderhouse Blvd. Benefit for the Somerville Homeless Coalition, the annual sale of handmade goods. Also taking place December 8-9 and December 15-16, 1-5 pm.

Karen Aqua Studio Show and Sale - Sunday, Noon to 6pm. Miller Street Studios, 11 Miller Street. Despite her passing over a year and a half ago, animator Karen Aqua’s legacy lives on through her films and artwork. Over 180 of Karen’s color pastel drawings have been lovingly framed and displayed and will be available for viewing and sale . Also copies of the DVD compilation of Karen’s films.

Blue Cloud Gallery – Saturday 11-7, Sunday 11-5. 713 Broadway. Handcrafted items by over 100 artists on sale at this store. Also get your tickets to the Somerville Arts Council’s Illuminations Tour here. while they last. December features jewelry by Lisa Trachtman.

Christian Waeber Open Studio/Moving Sale – Sunday, 11 am to 6 pm. 86 Glen Street. Local photographer concentrating on urban environment and still life. The subject of many of his works is East Somerville and the Big Dig by night.

Somerville Winter Farmers Market – Saturday, 9:30 am to 2:00 pm, Armory, 191 Highland Avenue. The season opener of the local food market. A good place if you’re planning a holiday feast or making your own food gifts. Continues every Saturday through April 13, 2013.

This event isn’t in Somerville but it’s just across the border and looks amazing so squeezing them in!

Washington Street Art Center hosts an open house February 25th from 1-3pm, so people can see the space and meet with the membership committee. After the open house, they’ll schedule follow up interviews with those who are seriously interested in the space and becoming part of our community. If you are unable to attend the open house, but are still interested in the space, email membership(at)washingtonst.org, with some details about yourself and a link to your website/images of your work, and we can try to arrange an alternate viewing.

The studio is 190sq ft. with three usable windows. Rent includes all utilities and wireless internet access. $343/month for this space.

The Washington Street Art Center provides an environment for artists to interact with one another for critiques, round table discussions, and other artistic endeavors. There is a working darkroom in the building, access to which can be rented separately from or in addition to studio space. WSAC also has a gallery in which members can host shows, exhibits, classes, and other events. There are about 15-20 members at any given time. Everyone is given a key and has 24-hour access to the building.

At the WSAC every member participates in the community aspect of the art center. Members are required to attend a monthly meeting in which we discuss any issues relevant to the space. We have gallery openings at least once a month (sometimes more often, depending on the show schedule) and ask that members attend, although this is not required. There are also various committees you can be a part of to manage things like: facilities, membership, public relations, the gallery, and the mission of the art center. There is no maintenance company in our building, as some larger studio spaces might offer, so members are also responsible for the upkeep and general operations of the space. The goal is to be a community of artists, not just a group of strangers working adjacent to one another.

Grants of up to $4,000 for first-time home buyers and $1,500 for those making business-related investments will be available for “low- to moderate-income” artists (all disciplines encouraged to apply). The program provides financial support through individual development accounts, an innovative financial tool that provides a grant “match” for the participant’s own savings deposits over a period of 6 – 30 months. Free training on personal finance and small business management for artists is a required component. Bonus matching funds of $1,000 will be available to a select number of participants who opt to pursue a $500 online crowdfunding campaign to help fund their bonus match.

Go to www.AssetsForArtists.org to learn more about eligibility and to download the pre-application form, due Thursday, April 21, 2011. There’s no cost to apply.

A profile of the Assets for Artists program was printed in Berkshire Trade & Commerce newspaper and may be downloaded here. (pdf format).

If you have any questions about the pre-application process or the program in general, contact Blair Benjamin at MASS MoCA (413-664-4481 x8104 or assets4artists@gmail.com).